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This weekend, DAMS raced in the eighth and last round of the 2009 Formula BMW Europe Championship, part of the Italian F1 GP meeting. The Monza circuit with its long straights and tricky chicanes was a daunting challenge for the drivers in the season’s final event. It enabled them to find out what using slipstreaming to overtake is all about!

After a couple of good weekends in Valencia and at Spa, DAMS met with less success in Italy. Despite a good qualifying session in which Jim Pla set the third-quickest time for race 1 and bagged pole position for race 2, the results were disappointing. Pla had to make do with seventh in the first race, and in the second he was eliminated in a collision. Nonetheless, he finished fifth overall in the championship.

Javier Tarancon also had a good qualifying session, and on Saturday he finished just outside the top 3. On Sunday he collided with Jim when the 2 drivers were lying third and fourth – end of story!

Côme Ledogar had a more difficult weekend. He went off in free practice, which ruined his qualifying, and his grid positions prevented him from fighting at the front.

DAMS finished its second season in Formula BMW Europe in fifth place in the teams’ classification. Although the result is a satisfying one, it could have been better with a bit more success at Monza. But the overall performances in the second half of the season have been very encouraging, and will help the team to be one of the 2010 title contenders right from the green light.

Eric Boullier, Team Manager: “First of all, congratulations to the whole team on our second year in Formula BMW Europe. We had a great second half this season, and our three drivers showed that they have the talent to shine in this category. Our recent performances are an indication that had we got the championship off to a better start, we could have aimed for the title. It’s very encouraging for next year.”

Jim PLA
Race 1: 3rd on the grid, 7th at the finish.
Race 2: pole position, eliminated by a collision.
5th in the championship with 222 points.

“Each weekend is different. After four wins on the trot in Valencia and at Spa followed by a good qualifying session here at Monza, my season has ended on a frustrating note. On Saturday, I was fighting at the front until I spun and rejoined in fifteenth place. I went pedal to the metal to pull back places but my hopes of a podium were dashed. On Sunday, I was in fourth place when a misunderstanding with one of my team-mates led to a collision. It’s a pity as I reckon I could have finished third or fourth of the championship. I think the second half of the season showed what I’m capable of. I’d like to thank DAMS very much for the season.”

Javier TARANCON
Race 1: 8th on the grid, 4th at the finish.
Race 2: 5th on the grid, 21th at the finish.
12th in the championship with 91 points.

“I was very quick in qualifying and my fourth place on Saturday gave my hopes a big boost for the next day. I made a good start and unfortunately, my race ended very early due to a collision. These things happen but it’s a shame for the team. I think I’ve grasped the specific aspects of this championship, which will help for the next step in my career.”

Côme LEDOGAR
Race 1: 13th on the grid, 14th at the finish.
Race 2: 12th on the grid, 19th at the finish.
17th in the championship with 50 points.

“I had a tough qualifying session due to my accident in free practice. As a result, it was difficult to close the gap to the front-runners mainly because of the characteristics of the Monza circuit. The performances were very close. The first race was on a wet track and there were several collisions. I tried to make the best of the situation but it wasn’t enough.”

Surrey racing driver Ollie Millroy returned to Formula BMW Europe this weekend at Spa Francorchamps, alongside Formula 1, with a very solid top six finish on Sunday to the delight of his team Raikkonen Robertson. After a disappointing qualifying session on Friday which left him on grid 16 and 15 Ollie had two very solid races although Saturday’s race was unfortunately brought to an abrupt end by mechanical failure.

“I had a problem during qualifying because my radio wasn’t working and I had no contact with the team said Ollie. This caused me to overrun on my first set of tyres and only gave me two quick laps on my second set. I decided I didn’t have time to look for a tow and put two quick laps in on my own which around Spa cost me a lot of time although it could have been worse. Race one on Saturday was going well and after a good start I made up two places at the first corner and worked my way up to 11th place and with still three laps to go there was a failure with the rear wheel bearing which ended my race. In race two on Sunday I again had a good start and throughout the race the car was quick and felt good which allowed me to finish sixth at the chequered flag.”

“After a not such a good start on Friday and Saturday I think I came away with about as good a result as I could expect. The team are great to work with and the car feels good so I can go to Monza in a couple of week’s time confident of getting a good result. I was quickest overall there at the official test earlier this year and with Double R we will be going for the win.”

British racer Ollie Millroy will join Raikkonen Robertson for this weekend’s Formula BMW Europe race at Spa-Francorchamps, as well as the season finale at Monza next month. The 19 year-old will race along side the team’s regular Formula BMW drivers Rupert Svendsen-Cook and Gregoire Demoustier.

It’s been a quick turnaround for the Formula BMW Europe teams this week, who have travelled from last weekend’s race in Valencia, to the historic Belgium circuit of Spa for rounds 13 and 14 of the season. Last time out in Valencia, Svendsen-Cook added a fifth place finish to his tally of six top six finishes so far this season, which has put him seventh in the drivers championship.

This weekend will be the first time Millroy has raced with the Raikkonen Robertson team, although the Surrey based driver has previous experience in the Formula BMW car, having competed the first three rounds of the year and having raced in Formula BMW Europe last year.

In 2008 Millroy also competed in the Formula BMW Pacific championship, taking second place in his first race in the series, followed by a victory in Singapore.

Millroy will be aiming for a good result on his favourite track – the 4.2 mile Spa circuit which will also play host to the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix this weekend. Millroy also has a strong record at the final venue of the season – Monza, having been the fastest driver overall at this year’s pre season test at the Italian circuit.

“I thought my career in Formula BMW Europe was behind me,” said Millroy, “but the opportunity to race with Raikkonen Robertson at the final two rounds of the season was too good to turn down. I feel like I’ve got some unfinished business in the series, so I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to prove myself in the remaining four races. Spa is one of my favourite tracks and I was quickest at Monza in testing, so I’m really looking forward to two strong weekends.”

Team Principal Anthony Hieatt added, “We’re very pleasedthat Ollie will be joining us for the final two events of the season. His experience in Formula BMW and his speed at the official test at Monza earlier this year will undoubtedly make him an asset to the team. Rupert is similarly experienced in the series and we’ve really seen him develop into a regular front runner. Hopefully he can push for his first win in the remaining four races.”

This weekend, DAMS raced in the sixth round of the 2009 Formula BMW Championship, part of the European Grand Prix meeting on the Valencia city circuit. The French squad was again represented by Jim Pla, Javier Tarancon and Côme Ledogar.

Jim Pla had an extremely good weekend winning both races. After his third and fourth places in Budapest a month ago, the Frenchman has got the monkey off his back and is now one of the leading lights in the championship.

Javier Tarancon and Côme Ledogar enjoyed mixed fortunes. On Saturday, the Spanish driver finished just outside the top 3 on home turf and had a collision on Sunday. Côme started from the middle of the pack – always a dangerous place – and did not finish due to collisions.

Next round: Spa-Francorchamps this coming weekend for the seventh round of the championship.

Eric Boullier, Team Manager: “Since the Nürburgring, we’ve felt that things were looking up, but race incidents haven’t allowed us to demonstrate our progress. Jim had the perfect weekend and his potential exploded. Hats off to him and the whole team! Our mission is to achieve the same performances until the end of the season. Our other aim is to help Javier and Côme close the gap to the leaders.”

Jim PLA
Race 1: 2nd on the grid, winner, fastest lap in the race
Race 2: 2nd on the grid, winner, fastest lap in the race
5th in the championship with 149 points

“I’m very happy with this weekend’s result. Front row, victory and fastest lap. Difficult to do better! I’d really like to thank the whole team with whom I share this performance. The conditions were difficult this weekend. The track was very slippery off-line and it was very hot. You had to stay concentrated till the end and not take too many risks in the two races. This approach paid off. I can’t wait for Belgium!”

Javier TARANCON
Race 1: 8th on the grid, 4th at the finish
Race 2: 9th on the grid, retired (collision)
13th in the championship with 66 points

“I had a reasonable qualifying session. I was very satisfied with the car’s handling in the race. I just missed out on the podium on Saturday as another driver squeezed me in the last corner. On Sunday, I was in fifth place when another car hit me, and that was the end of my race.”

“It was just one of those weekends when nothing goes right. In qualifying I wasn’t able to string all the sectors together and that was a pity. By adding together all my best sector times, I would have set the fourth-quickest time. I started in the middle of the pack in the races and I was harpooned twice. There was nothing I could do about it! It’s frustrating, and I hope to be able to improve my performance at Spa.”

It wasn’t Timmy Hansen’s weekend when Formula BMW raced in Valencia. In Race 1 Timmy was just ninth at the finish, after a collision when he was advancing to fifth. He managed to stay clear of the dreaded walls around the street track and was able to continue. Hansen was then 12th and re-started his hunt towards the top. And he did it in style. Lap after lap he posted quickest sector times and was fastest on track until the last lap when Michael Christensen and Jim Pla, who crossed the line as first and second, squeezed by with a tenth. During his comeback Timmy made some good overtaking manouvers and ended up ninth.

- It feels good for the future that I have the capacity to battle up front, Timmy says.

- Valencia is challenging and fun, but very risky as the consequences for an off are huge.

Race 2 was short and intense for Timmy. Like he often does he started better than the ones around him and in the second turn he passed Kazeem Manzur.

- Coming in to turn four I was in the normal racing line when “BANG” I got one of the DAMS cars into my side, says Timmy disappointed. I spun and the suspension broke. End of race.

Already next weekend, 28-30 August, the next rounds are being raced on the legendary Spa track in Belgium.

A decision was made following the two championship rounds at Silverstone, which took place alongside the British Grand Prix, to withdraw Ollie from Formula BMW Europe. Due to reasons beyond his control it was felt that there was little to be gained in completing a second year in the junior championship without being in a position to win and a move onto testing and racing in a senior Formula now would be more beneficial for the young Surrey racing drivers career in preparing for 2010.

Ollie is actively talking with teams from all over the world at the moment and a decision will be made as soon as possible on what he will do for the rest of the year to keep him racing.

“I’m very disappointed not to be completing the Formula BMW championship to say the least because for sure at the start of the season I expected to be one of the front runners and competing for the championship. The trouble is we just weren’t on the pace and I had nothing to gain running in the middle of the pack for the rest of the season with little chance of getting up the sharp end. At the end of the day these things are out of my hands but I can understand why I have been withdrawn and I trust the judgement of those around me who have made this decision. All I have to do is keep myself fit and wait for a decision to be made. I’m already getting a lot of interest from the UK, America and Asia so hopefully I should be back in a car very soon. We are also still looking for sponsors or an investor, which is especially difficult at the moment because of the economic situation but my immediate concern is that I’m back in a race car as soon as possible so I can get my career back on track”.

Timmy Hansen had another good result in Formula BMW when he finished fifth in the first race at Nürburgring. He started from ninth on the grid and with a stable quick pace he worked his way up the field.

- It was my best finish so far in the championship, Timmy says. The car had a nice balance and the driving felt good. I posted quick lap times despite being in traffic the whole race.

As usual Nürburgring showed typical Eiffelland weather with both rain and dry. While the first race on Saturday was run in the dry with good grip the second race was wet. Because of the heavy rain race control chose to start the race behind the safety car. It was probably a good decision for Timmy who, from his 12th spot on the grid, would have had it tough through the first couple of corners with all the spray. This was the first time Timmy competed in the wet. He was only 11th and scored a few championship points, but it was valuable experience for the future.

- I struggled with bad grip the whole race, Timmy says. 11th wasn’t very good so now me and the engineer have to go through the data and try to understand how I should drive in the rain better the next time.

Race 2 was won by Felipe Nasr ahead of Michael Christensen and William Buller.

Next race weekend is in fourteen days in Budapest, Hungary, 25-27 July.

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